Friendships Hardships And Triumphs
by Ink of Crimson
Summary: A birthday party haunted by gunshots and the loss of 2 of their own...will the Jeffersonian keep themselves together long enough to save the ones they love? STORY DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
1. A Happy Birthday?

Ok so…yeah don't get mad when you read this…but Rated T for now…probably gonna have to up it to M for later chapters…but for now just T for violence…this is gonna be a long one…so hang on for the ride!

DISCLAIMER- I do not own Bones or any of the characters! Trust me if I did, Zack would be there , most of the interns would be permanent characters, and there would be several unorthodox pairings!

This takes place before Gormoloser, but after Sweets gets there!

Oh and some of the interns are in this yes I know they weren't there until Zack left but I like them so they are here and they are all good friends!

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_**Chapter 1- Happy Birthday?**_

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A normal, or normal as possible, day at the Jeffersonian. Zack, the other Squints and Cam are running about the platform, examining two-thousand year old remains, Angela is holding Sweets hostage in her office drawing him out of boredom, Bones and Booth are in her office, bickering, as usual. Everything is at peace.

Later in the day, the team and the interns gather in the lounge upstairs, laughing and having fun, celebrating something.

"_**Happy birthday Zack."**_ Vincent-Nigel said, patting him on the shoulder.

Wendell, walked up and shook Zack's hand, _**"Happy birthday."**_

"_**Happy birthday Zack." **_Clark said as he playfully punched Zack's shoulder.

"_**Happy Birthday Zack!" **_Angela shouted, getting over excited, and kissed his cheek.

"_**Happy Birthday man." **_Hodgins hugged him a little, then put a ridiculous birthday hat on him. Knowing he meant well Zack didn't take it off.

"_**Aww, Happy Birthday Zack, what are you 18?" **_Booth said as he ruffled the young scientists hair.

"_**It seems Agent Booth, that I must explain again, I am 25, and no longer an adolescent, though you constantly insist I am." **_Zack stated and Booth smirked in response, but the two smiled and began laughing.

"_**Don't worry Dr. Addy, you aren't the only one Agent Booth insists is a teenager. Happy birthday." **_Sweets said, approaching from the back of the pack.

"_**Happy Birthday Zack." **_Cam smiled, and walked back down the stairs.

"_**Happy birthday Zack." **_the last well wisher, Dr. Brennan wrapped her arms around him, perhaps too tightly but Zack hugged back, a look of sheer happiness on his face.

"_**Thank you everyone, this is amazing." **_Zack smiled as tears filled his eyes.

"_**Aww, our little Zack is growing up! Group hug!" **_Angela said as she pushed everyone towards Zack, they all smiled and joined in.

"_**Ooh photo op! Don't move!" **_Angela shouted as she positioned the camera tripod, pushed the button, and ran back to her spot in the group, a few seconds later the flash went off, and everyone clapped.

"_**Where did Dr. Saroyan go?" **_Zack asked, and as if on cue, she walked back up the stairs carrying a cake shaped like a beaker, on it is written "Happy Birthday Zack/King Of The Lab" in big black letters.

"_**Hey! What's up with that?" **_Hodgins asked trying to look irritated, but soon broke into a grin.

"_**Hey let the kid have the title! Its his 16th**__** birthday." **_Booth said with a huge smile, Zack gave him a 'seriously?' look, before smiling himself.

"_**This is the most amazing birthday, I cant thank you enough." **_Zack said as he stared at the cake.

"_**Don't thank, cut the cake!" **_Angela said as she positioned herself behind the camera. Zack complied and sliced into the beaker. Everyone was whistling and clapping, when several shots rang out and an alarm began to go off. _**"Everyone down!" **_Booth shouted as he ran to the stairs and glanced around.

"_**Bones where is the closest office with a door that locks?" **_Booth asked in a whisper.

"_**Angela's down the stairs and to the left behind the staircase why?"**_

"_**There are 5 armed guys in black headed for the lab, I want you all to get to Angela's office and hide, as quickly and quietly as possible." **_Bones simply nodded and motioned to the others to move. They crept down the stairs with Booth and Bones leading, and Zack and Sweets at the back, as they all silently ran towards the office. Booth nodded at Bones and took off to the right disappearing around the corner. As Bones opened the door, they heard 2 muffled shouts and ran into the office, slamming and locking the door behind them.

"_**Is everyone ok?" **_Bones asked glancing around at her colleagues.

"_**Wait… Oh my god! Where are Zack and sweets?" **_Angela said in a panicked whisper.

"_**Oh my god…" **_A look of horror crossed Bones' face as she looked around the room for her missing friends.

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OOOH Cliff hanger! Dun Dun Dun lol :) Read And Review! :) :) :)


	2. We Won't Let Them

This is my first try at writing from a 3rd person perspective please be nice :) I refer to the interns and Hodgins as 'the boys', just for reference…lol

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_**Chapter 2 - We Won't Let Them**_

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_**At the Jeffersonian**_

The alarm had stopped and Booth was heading for the team in Angela's office,

"_**We lost them." **_Booth said slightly irritated, but when he looked around Bones and Angela were hugging each other crying, and the boys all wore the same solemn expression.

"_**What happened? Where's Sweets? And Zack?" **_No one spoke, Hodgins simply looked at him and shook his head.

"_**Oh god…" **_Booth turned and darted out of the room, the boys followed, leaving Angela and Bones alone. Booth ran straight to the head of security.

"_**We have an emergency, 2 of my people are missing." **_Booth said growing more anxious by the second.

"_**We'll do a sweep, maybe they're in another office."**_ Booth nodded, as he turned to the boys,

"_**Did you guys see anything, at all?"**_ They looked at each other with sunken faces,

"_**No, we got in the office and locked the door, we didn't even realize they were gone."**_ Wendell said with a pain filled look in his eyes.

"_**I should have been paying attention!" **_Hodgins said as he snapped the green band on his wrist.

"_**Don't blame yourself, its not your fault."**_ Clark said as he put his hand on Hodgins shoulder.

"_**No its not, look were gonna find them, get Angela make sure she's ok."**_ Booth said as he went to see Bones. The 2 were still hugging, trying not to break down, Booth and Hodgins pulled the two apart letting the girls' heads sink into their shoulders.

"_**Bones, its ok were gonna find them, we're gonna get them back… ok?""Alright."**_ she choked through her sobs.

"_**Hey Ange, he's right, we'll get them back, we wont let his birthday end up like this."**_ Angela didn't speak, she simply nodded and tightened her grip on Hodgins' waist.

The two men glanced at each other, they had to do this…for them…for the team.

_**Unknown Location**_

2 motionless figures lay in the trunk of a car, one of them begins to stir before opening his eyes.

Zack panicked slightly as he realized what must have happened. He tried to move, but his wrists and ankles were bound, it took him a moment before he realized Sweets was with him, he nudged Sweets with his foot, and his eyes snapped open immediately. Sweets glanced around before meeting Zack's gaze,

"_**Are you ok?"**_ Zack whispered.

"_**I think so, you?"**_

"_**Yeah, my head is splitting though. What happened? The last thing I remember is someone pulling me backwards before we got into the office.""I don't know…I don't know."**_ Sweets said trying to keep from going into a panic attack.

"_**Sweets just breathe. We're gonna be ok…"**_ Zack said noticing the panic behind Sweets' eyes.

"_**I hope so…"**_ Sweets said as he watched Zack begin to fall unconscious again, Sweets waited a moment before following Zack's lead, and let the dark consume him.

_**At the Jeffersonian**_

The team gathered around the light table in limbo,

"_**Ok, I know how stressing this is going to be, but we need to keep it together. They didn't find Zack or Sweets anywhere on the premises, but they're getting the security footage together, seeing if these bastards slipped up. We've got to stay calm, and do our job, it's the only way we're going to get them home safe. Ok?"**_ Booth spoke gently with his arms still wrapped around Bones' shoulders.

"_**He's right, we have to do our job, we are the best in the world."**_ Bones said with a pain filled sorrow in her voice.

"_**They've got the footage, its up on my monitor, I need your guys' help to sift though it, we don't want to miss anything."**_ Angela said as she walked in the room, then turned and left again. Everyone exchanged glances then followed. They met a few minutes later, in Angela's office, Booth looked to Angela and nodded, she pressed play.  
For a minute they were silent as they watched the moments before the gunshots, the party, then several people ran in the building. 3 of the five ran down the hallway to the lab, while the other 2 broke off and slid unseen along the wall behind the stairs and disappeared in the hallway in front of the back door, while apparently unknown to them another camera stayed fixed on them. A few more minutes pass, and they see themselves working their way silently to Angela's office, but when Zack and Sweets pass in front of the 2 hiding men, the men grabbed them from behind, and muffled their screams, they put Zack and Sweets on their knees and hit them with the butt of their guns. The 2 fell unconscious and the men bound their wrists and ankles, before dragging them out the back door. Angela stopped the video as she and Bones started crying again.

"_**Damn it! I should've seen them separate!" **_Booth shouted before he saw Bones in tears again and he wrapped his arms around her.

"_**Don't worry, they aren't going to get away with this. Those 2 are part of our team, and I'll be damned if a bunch of punks think they're gonna take them from us. We won't let them."**_

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OK sorry for the shortness again. I promise they will get longer! Read and Review it makes me happy and I write better when I'm happy…(hint hint) lol


	3. Crude Conclusion

Yay I updated! Why are you reading this? Read the story! :) jkjk Hope you enjoy!

I don't own Bones...yet...lol jk

Sadish chapter, don't kill me...lol

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_**Chapter 3- Crude Conclusion**_

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_**Unknown Location**_

Sweets and Zack are tied to chairs, sitting back to back in a basement like room, Sweets is the first to regain consciousness, when he opens his eyes, he immediately panics but soon calms, somewhat,

"_**Zack! Zack are you there?" **_Sweets whispered. Zack's head snapped up, Sweets' voice startling him,

"_**Zack?"**_ Sweets whispered again.

"_**I'm here, are you alright?" **_Zack's panic melted to concern, for himself and his friend.

"_**I think so, my head hurts though." **_Sweets said as he tried to shake the dizzy feeling.

"_**Mine too." **_Zack laid his head back, smacking it against Sweets'

"_**Ow!" **_Sweets exclaimed.

"_**Sorry." **_Zack said.

"_**Well at least now I know where you are." **_Sweets said, a touch of humor hinting in his voice. Zack smiled weakly,

"_**Do you remember anything? About what happened I mean?" **_Zack asked, knowing Sweets probably knows as much as he does.

"_**No, I just remember getting pulled back before we got to Angela's office, then something hit me in the head and I was out."**_

_**"Me too." **_A set of approaching footsteps, turned both of their attentions to a door beside them, a few seconds later, a man no older than them came through the door.

"_**Dr. Addy, Dr. Sweets, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." **_The man said bearing a look of false excitement.

"_**I wish I could say the same." **_Sweets said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"_**Same here." **_Zack said as he nodded in agreement.

"_**That was very rude, don't you think." **_The man's voice was like poison.

"_**Considering the situation? No." **_Sweets stated, the man took a step closer to Sweets and punched him in the jaw.

"_**Would you like to try that again, Dr. Sweets?"**_

_**

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_**At the Jeffersonian**_

Booth and the others are standing on the examination platform, talking to the head of security,

"_**How the hell did they even get in? Our security is supposed to be air tight!" **_Hodgins yelled as he paced the platform. The head of security shot him a deadly glare before speaking,

"_**We have no idea. The cameras showing the outside, front and back, of the building were off, giving us no license plates or faces." **_Booth put his head in his hands at the news.

"_**So we have no way of finding Sweets and Zack?" **_Angela said, trying not to cry again.

"_**Yes we do, we have us, and that is something. You are the best and brightest of anyone at the Jeffersonian, we will find them, we aren't going to give up. Ever." **_Booth's voice broke the uneasy silence.

"_**He's right, we can't give up, I'd never forgive myself if we lost Zack or Sweets, we will find something that points us in the right direction." **_Bones walked around the table to join Booth.

"_**I can go over the footage again, maybe I can get a glimpse of one of their face, those idiots will never be able to out smart my supreme computer genius!" **_Angela smiled a little with new hope as she dashed towards her office.

"_**I can look over the doors and hallways, look for particulates. I might get something." **_Hodgins said as he grabbed his kit and headed for the front door.

Clark, Wendell, and Vincent-Nigel, looked at each other for a moment, since there were no bones, they were at a loss for what to do, they nodded at one another, then turned to Booth,

"_**I'll help Hodgins." **_Vincent-Nigel said, taking off after Hodgins.

"_**I'll help Angela." **_Clark said as he walked towards her office.

Wendell started to say something, but Clark was gone. He looked to Booth and Bones, a confused but sad look on his face.

"_**My friends have been kidnapped, and I don't know what to do. Some friend I am."**_ He said, intently staring at the floor, while blinking back tears.

"_**You are a good friend, you're just worried, we all are. Bones and I are going to go through Sweets and Zack's journals, trying to find out if anyone was following Sweets or if either of them were in any trouble, come help out, we need the extra eyes." **_Booth walked over and patted the distressed young man on the shoulder.

"_**Ok, I can do that."**_ Wendell gave Booth a grateful smile, then the 2 started for the door, as Bones went to Zack's lab.

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_**Unknown Location**_

Zack sat in the silence, thinking about what had happened. Sweets had refused over and over to apologize for being rude, and every time he did, another blow landed on his face or chest. After the first few strikes, Zack tried to divert the man's attention to him, but it only made him hit Sweets harder. Eventually Sweets lost consciousness, and he left. Zack longed to hear Sweets say something, anything, he needed to know Sweets was alive. Zack considered trying to wake him up, but couldn't bring himself to do it, Sweets would be in intense pain, at least unconscious he was in a dream, and he wasn't feeling anything. Zack laid his head back, momentarily forgetting that doing so would mash his head against Sweets'. He immediately lifted his head when it make contact. He hoped, that he hadn't disturbed him, but Sweets slowly regained consciousness.

"_**Zack? Zack are you ok!"**_ Sweets asked, his voice groggy but ridden with panic.

"_**Considering the fact you were beaten until you lost consciousness, I don't believe that your concern should be for me at the moment."**_ Zack said with a confused look on his face.

"_**Are you ok?"**_ Sweets said, putting sarcastic emphasis on every word.

"_**Yes, I am fine, are you alright Sweets? I'm almost certain you are going to have several cracked ribs and severe bruising on your face and chest."**_ Zack said, he was trying to be logical, unaware that lying in this situation would be better than facts.

"_**Thanks for the pep talk Zack, and I'm fine, trust me I've dealt with worse."**_ Sweets said, though he regretted saying it the moment he spoke. Sweets knew that in response to his comment, Zack would inevitably say…

"_**You have?"**_ Zack asked.

"_**Yes, a long time ago."**_ Sweets bit his lower lip and closed his eyes, trying not to remember the agony inflicted by his father's whip. Zack contemplated for a moment, trying to remember if he had ever heard about Sweets' past.

"_**Assuming a timeline beginning at birth, and given your age, I'd conclude you are referring to sometime before you reached pubescence." **_Zack said.

"_**You have come to a viable conclusion." **_Sweets tried to slow his breathing, but every time he tried to push out the memories, it just drove him closer to a panic attack.

"_**How old were you?" **_

"_**When?"**_

_**"When you were being abused."**_

_**"Why do you assume that?" **_Sweets asked confused how Zack could reach that conclusion so quickly.

_**"Because you claim to have dealt with worse pain in the past, but when you speak of your adoptive parents, it is with great love and appreciation, leading me to assume that you were physically or sexually abused by one or both of your biological parents, leading you to have been adopted in the first place."**_

"_**Yes, but with your out of touch personality, your inability to communicate or socialize with any other human being, and your complete lack of understanding of anything unrelated to work, I would conclude you are a sexually inept sociopath. Which in turn you are not, but the point stands that you can't always be right." **_

"_**But anthropologically speaking, the way you increased your defense when I asked the question suggests that I am correct."**_

"_**You're just lucky I can't hit you." **_Sweets mumbled, but Zack heard dispite the fact and the young man's eyes fell to the floor, engulfed in sadness.

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Aww sad... sorry but I had to put in the peice about Sweets' past. Read and Review, reviews make me happy, I write better when I'm happy...(hint hint) :)


	4. Stalker

Ok, yay another update, I'm kinda on a roll. Lol

I don't own Bones...still :(

Ok so there's a lot of internal thought type stuff and reading aloud in this so I put, reading aloud _underline/italics,_ and thought in **bold** instead of **_bold/italics_**

Confusing yes I know but its how I write lol!

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_**Chapter 4- Stalker…**_

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_**At Sweets' Office**_

Booth and Wendell are in Sweets' office searching his private journals and patient notes.

"_**Um Booth…I don't know if this is anything but…look." **_Wendell held Sweets' personal notebook out to Booth.

"_**This is his private notebook, he writes anything he thinks about in this." **_Booth seemed reluctant to invade Sweets' privacy.

"_**I know, but just look at page 20." **_Booth flipped to the page and began reading aloud.

"_**-**No matter where I go he always seems to be there, outside my apartment building, at the café I stop at every morning, I don't know him, but something is eerie about him, he practically screams danger every time I see him…maybe I should tell Agent Booth**.-Yes you moron! You should have told me." **_Booth shouted at the page, startling Wendell.

Booth tossed the book next to him, and looked up at intern.

"_**Sweets has a stalker."**_

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_**At the Jeffersonian**_

Bones is curled up in Zack's chair reading through his journals.

"**Something rather unusual has been going on the last few weeks, wherever I go, I see the same man. He just stands and stares at me, I've seen him on Hodgins' street, in the diner, I'm not sure how to react, perhaps just ignoring it will suffice, if not, maybe I should talk to Hodgins. **_**Oh Zack! You should have told someone!"**_

Bones ran out of Zack's lab towards the front door nearly plowing down Hodgins in the process.

"_**Whoa Dr. Brennen what's going on?" **_Hodgins asked steadying himself and Bones.

_**"Did Zack say anything to you about seeing the same man everywhere he went?" **_Bones spoke out of breath, fumbling to get her phone

"_**No, why?"**_

_**"He mentioned it in his journal, he said that this man was everywhere just watching him. Hodgins…I think Zack was being stalked!" **_

Bones rushed out the front door dialing Booth when he walked up with Wendell,

"_**Bones! You are not going to believe this!"**_

_**"Neither are you!" **_and to add to the dramatic moment both spoke at the same time,

"_**Sweets has a stalker!"**_

_**"Zack has a stalker!"**_ Their expressions both instantly switched to confused,

"_**What?"**_Booth asked stuttering to find the words. No one spoke for a moment as Bones and Booth stared in disbelief.

_**"Sweets has a stalker, and apparently so does Zack."**_ Wendell said breaking the confused silence.

"_**Oh wow… this is really strange" **_Booth said as he handed Sweets' notebook to Bones and took Zack's.

"_**It is highly likely this is the same stalker, but why?**__**" **_Bones said as she scanned the page.

_**"I'll go back to Sweets office and dig some more, do the same for Zack, maybe they were at the same seminar or something, anything that would turn this guy on either of them."**_

"_**Ok, go. I'm pulling Clark from Angela I need another set of eyes."**_

_**"Good luck Bones."**_

"_**You to." **_Booth and Wendell darted back to the car and Bones ran inside.

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_**Unknown location**_

Zack and Sweets are still alone, but Sweets has fallen unconscious again. Fearing Sweets' head injuries, and the possibility of a concussion Zack was getting ready to wake him up.

"_**Sweets. Sweets!"**_

_**"What?" **_Sweets voice was groggy, and tired.

"_**I'm making sure you don't have brain damage."**_

_**"According to Agent Booth I already do, why are you worried about brain damage?" **_Sweets said still trying to wake up.

_**"Because with numerous blows to the skull it could cause a concussion, which can cause brain damage." **_Zack stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

_**"I am very aware of this but if I had a concussion I would be fully aware of the side affects already."**_

"_**Which are?"**_

_**"Dizziness, severe headaches, disorientation, confusion, hallucination, amnesia, sensitivity to light or sound, ringing in the ears, and slurred speech. None of which I have, well except headache and dizziness, but that existed before the beating. From when I was struck the first time and knocked unconscious." **_Sweets said in a slightly irritated tone.

"_**Good! No brain damage is presenting itself." **_Zack said, an obvious sarcasm bubbling in his voice.

_**"Wait were you quizzing me so you could make sure my brain was ok?"**_

_**"Yes."**_

_**"Hmm, thanks Zack. I'm glad if I had to go through this, it was with you. Anyone else would be going crazy right now, but your rational mind is preventing you from doing that."**_

_**"Yes…wait…is that a bad thing." **_Sweets started laughing.

"_**No, it's a very good thing. It means you can handle emotional stress better than the average person."**_

_**"Which means you possess the same quality."**_

"_**Yes, but as I said before, I learned to deal with this at a very young age."**_

_**"I recall." **_Zack fell silent fearing upsetting Sweets again.

The 2 sat in silence a moment before the terrifying sound of footsteps approached the door.

"_**Zack this time just don't talk, don't anger him. Just be quiet, don't try to intervene."**_

_**"Why? He could kill you."**_

_**"I don't care it's better than him hitting you so just shut up." **_Sweets uttered the last syllable before the door swung open and the man walked in.

"_**Dr. Addy, Dr. Sweets, hello again. I must apologize, it seems we may have got off on the wrong foot last time."**_

_**"**__**That's an understatement." **_Sweets said rolling his eyes and looking away.

"_**You see Dr. Sweets you are being rude again. I don't react well to rude people. Don't you think he is being rude Dr. Addy?" **_Zack remained silent, not sure of what to say.

"_**I asked you a question Dr. Addy, you would do best to answer."**_

_**"Just answer Zack!" **_Sweets said in an urgent whisper.

_**"Anthropologically speaking, his tone of voice, and choice of words suggest, no he is not being rude, just opinionated." **_Zack blurted out, knowing he was lying he let his gaze fall to the ground, fearing the result of his comment.

_**"You are absolutely right Dr. Addy!" **_Zack feared the result even more as he looked into the mans eyes, seeing the false joviality, and anger. As Zack stared into the man's eyes he saw something, something too familiar…

_**

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He he sorry had to do that! What do you think? I can't write good if I have no feedback! I don't know whether or not I'm making people mad! Read and Review, reviews make me happy and I write better when I'm happy (hint hint) lol

OK SERIOUSLY! The reason the dialog and thought and such is put in different word format is to enable speed readers, or anyone who is more interested in the talking rather than the story itself (which I have no problem with lol thats pretty much how I get inspiration is reading dialog pages from Bones sites lol) to differ story from dialog, I'm sorry, but thats how I write, if it makes you upset I am truely sorry. But since I've only had one complaint I'm guessing it's not bothering anyone else... let me know...


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